So, You Collect Tarot Decks?

If you belong to online communities of Tarot or oracle card readers, you see a lot of people who collect divination decks. It seems that some have a new deck or four coming in the mail weekly. Readers who have been reading cards for only a year or so may have one-hundred decks. Why? It’s hard to say what motivates collectors to accumulate what they collect. There are as many reasons as there are collectors. However, before stockpiling decks you may want to consider what motivates your collecting and how these decks serve you.

First, I will say, at the time of this writing, I own somewhere close to 500 decks. So, to be clear, I do not condemn collectors. However, each deck I have added to my collection was added for a reason. Additionally, I have been collecting in earnest since the 1990s. It takes time to build a meaningful collection.

What makes a meaningful collection? You may want to ask yourself the following questions before you submit your next Amazon or Hay House order. First, are you adding decks to your collection just because everyone else has that deck? Or does the deck speak to you in a way no other deck does? Will the deck increase in value over time? Or is it a very common mass-market deck? Do you have any other personal reasons for being interested in this deck? Do you already know this divination system or plan to learn it?

If you are collecting due to fear of missing out (FOMO), you may be better served by examining what you’d be missing. A deck that you will never use because its only appeal is its popularity may not be the best purchase for you unless you like having something just to have it. Many of the decks I own called out to me before I purchased. An image resonated with me or the creator’s explanation of the divination system touched me as a reader. I have also purchased limited edition decks which only increase in value as time goes by. These are an investment that I will one day pass on to my children. Additionally, some of my purchases are the creations of my acquaintances who are fellow deck creators. I enjoy having something a friend worked so hard to bring into the world. Yet others follow a theme that I find appealing, such as a mermaid, cat, or fairy tale deck. Over the years I have branched out from playing cards and Tarot decks to Lenormand, Kipper, and Sibilla. I have learned all of these systems and have begun collecting these as well as stand-alone oracle decks.

Have I purchased decks that do not speak to me? Yes. Unfortunately, I have. For the most part, if a deck turns out to be a dud, I sell, trade, or donate it. Some I hold on to, just in case it calls to me at a later date. If that date gets too late, though, I’m sure I can find it a new home if I'm not holding on to it for monetary reasons.

I understand that the definition of “meaningful” varies from person to person. Some may wonder how a collection of 500 divination decks can be meaningful in the first place. These are usually the people who have a deck or two of each system they read and feel perfectly happy with these. That is fully acceptable. I would no more judge them than I would judge another reader whose collection makes mine look minuscule. The goal should not be to be the reader who collects the most decks before you die, however. In my opinion, the goal of collecting is to have a collection that means something to you and you can appropriately use. Otherwise, you might be collecting for the sake of having a great deal of cardstock.